Xavier Rudd’s home among the gum trees on the Sunshine Coast
For roots singer-songwriter Xavier Rudd, the backyard of his five-acre property on the Sunshine Coast is a densely forested haven for his family and a source of musical inspiration.
For roots singer-songwriter Xavier Rudd, the backyard of his five-acre property on the Sunshine Coast is a densely forested haven for his family and a source of musical inspiration.
“I’ve always loved wood, and I’ve always liked to hear the different tones of timber,” he told The Australian. “I grew up in the bush, and the music that I make almost comes down to the point where an instrument’s timber finds its way emotionally into songs, based on the sound of it.”
With the pandemic forcing the musician to press pause on a hectic touring schedule that usually sees him playing to big audiences across the world, Rudd will soon emerge with his 10th album, which due in March.
“This record I’ve made all on my own, and it’s the first time I’ve played everything since my Spirit Bird album, which was 10 years ago,” he said.
“There’s timber all through it: I’ve always used hollow-body acoustic instruments and handmade stuff – plus didges, which are made by termites,” he said with a laugh, referring to didgeridoos.
Having chosen to sit out the trend of online performances throughout the pandemic, Rudd will dip a toe into those digital waters for The Shift summit and music festival, a global event held this weekend, where he and fellow Australian singer-songwriter John Butler are the headliners.
Rudd’s free concert will screen at 9.40am on Monday, and The Shift has partnered with British reforestation charity TreeSisters in a bid to encourage attendees to plant one million trees.
It’s a message that resonates strongly with Rudd, given his love for the abundance of towering trunks in his backyard.
“For me, this place is a sanctuary,” he said while standing beneath the shaded canopy. “It serves as a constant reminder of how lucky I am. I tour around the world – that’s what I do for a job – and I see a lot of unfortunate circumstances, and in places that are pretty rough.”
“I’m constantly humbled by how lucky I am to have a space like this,” he said. “Connecting with the country is important, and as I tend to it and care for it, I’m caring for myself and for my family.”
With live gigs few and far between due to travel restrictions, the multi-instrumentalist is sticking to Queensland for the time being.
Rudd returned to the stage last weekend to close the final night of the Toowoomba Food and Wine Festival, while on the first weekend of October he’ll perform at the Caloundra Music Festival alongside artists including Ian Moss, Ball Park Music and The Superjesus, whose frontwoman Sarah McLeod recently appeared in our Review’s Isolation Room video series.
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